Dinner, Anyone?

Anyone interested in a dinner for five? Menu is undetermined. Probably chicken or beef. You'll be seated in a quaint little dining room along with 2,000 or so other guests. Oh yeah, did I mention it's in Philadelphia, so it's two plus hours away? All this for the incredible price of $270.00! Alright. The truth. The only thing incredible about this deal is how incredibly stupid Pop Warner Football must think we are. That's right. For us to attend Collin's Scholastic All-American Banquet, just the dinner will cost $270.00! Here's the breakdown. $40.00 per plate per kid (including Aaron. He's such a big eater at three years old.) and $75.00/ea. for Linda and I. Are they freakin' kidding?! They must be crazy if they think I'll pay that. The way this whole thing is supposed to work is the awards ceremony is on Friday night and the banquet is on Saturday night. So if we were to go, we would also require a hotel room. Which brings me to my next gripe. Their website says that the Marriott, which is actually attached to the convention center where this is being held, is offering "special" rates for attendees. $149.00/night! I checked out Expedia and found the Hilton (that's the Hilton, mind you) directly across the street for $94.00/night. That's special alright. But wait. It gets better. For everyone to attend the awards ceremony on Friday, we have to pay $5.00/person for that! (Although Collin gets in to that for free.) Oh, and don't forget the Pop Warner jerseys you can buy for only $49.00! So, needless to say, we will not be attending the banquet. Although we will attend the awards ceremony on Friday and drive back home that night. Me thinks something stinks around here, and this time, it ain't me. I think Profit Warner... Oops. sorry. I mean Pop Warner, has lost their way. (or their minds) just a tad. So let's do some simple math and summarize, shall we? Award ceremony - $20.00. Hotel - $149.00. Banquet - $270.00. The satisfaction of teaching our son that there will come times in your life when you have to stand up for what is right, even though it may not be popular, and say "No".... Priceless.